Phoenix police chief talks crime stats

Aug. 21, 2012 12:44 PMThe Arizona Republic

Phoenix police Chief Daniel Garcia has made it a priority to revamp the way the department provides crime statistics to officers and to the public.

The chief wants to implement a crime-mapping tool that features crime statistics that allow the user to filter by crime type, date, location and other details. The user can view graphs and analysis of the data, sign up to receive crime e-mail alerts and even submit tips to the police.

The system, which will cost the city about $27,000 the first year, is scheduled to be activated in October. The city is in the process of finalizing the contract. Phoenix will join several cities nationwide -- including Scottsdale, Tempe and Avondale in Arizona -- using the RAIDS Online system.

RAIDS Online was developed and is operated by Behavioral Analysis and Intelligence Resources Analytics Inc., a company based in Highlands Ranch, Colo.

In recent years and prior to Garcia's arrival, the department faced scrutiny over its crime stats. The department's kidnapping statistics became embroiled in controversy after an officer accused administrators of intentionally inflating the data to secure federal grant money. An audit later revealed the total number of kidnapping cases that police provided to the federal government was accurate, but hundreds of cases were misclassified because of insufficient guidance on the importance of reporting crimes.

The controversy led to Jack Harris' March 2011 removal after city officials blamed him for calling the statistics rock-solid, then later conceding they were not. Harris resigned a month later.

The Republic asked Garcia about the project.

Question: Why is this such an important issue for you?

Answer: Having accurate up-to-date crime statistics will play a tremendous role in the partnerships of our community with the Phoenix Police Department. It is my belief that a well-informed community is one that can hold their police department accountable during increases and decreases in crime trends. Phoenix residents will know exactly how we are doing. This is an issue of being transparent with the community in order to help improve safety within neighborhoods.

Q: What kind of role did the kidnapping statistics scandal play in your push for this project?

A: None. I have felt very strongly about this for years, and it has been my belief that Phoenix had room for improvement. Again, I believe an informed public can only make our neighborhoods safer. It is my goal to continue to get more community input.

Q: How will Phoenix residents benefit?

A: This system will give our officers almost instant access to crime information in their beat area, allowing them to work on hot-spots and problem areas faster. More importantly, it will give citizens a wide range of information about calls and crime data not readily available to them in the past.